A news blog for Seattle's Phinney Ridge and Greenwood neighborhoods

Greenwood P-Patch being remodeled

Members of the Greenwood P-Patch Steering Committee have begun remodeling the community garden at 345 NW 88th St. Greenwood P-Patch was originally built in 1997, and is just a short walk from the Greenwood Fred Meyer.

Photo courtesy of Greenwood P-Patch Steering Committee.

The garden currently has 28 plots but is working to increase that to 33. Tom Jenkins, a University of Washington student who is interning on the Steering Committee, tells me the list of gardeners hoping to get a spot stands at about 40 names. He says 11 of the current plots will be available to new gardeners. That would mean 16 new gardeners could take over spots in the garden.

“As a fairly new gardener, I can appreciate the magnitude of this potential influx of new faces, as my fiancée and I waited for a year and a half before we were offered a plot of our own to tend; as renters in a nearby condominium complex, this is our only “yard” and a welcome bit of green space,” he told me by email.

The Steering Committee received a $24,000 grant from the City of Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods for the remodel. The group has to match that, with at least 50 percent coming from volunteer hours valued at $20 an hour. That would equal 600 volunteer hours, but the group has set a more ambitious goal of 1,000 volunteer hours. They’ve also received in-kind donations, including sharpening of their gardening tools by Seattle Knife Sharpening & Supply at 7421 Greenwood Ave. N.

The P-Patch is looking for three to five volunteers to help out with light demolition work at the next work party from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22 (volunteers don’t need to stay the entire four hours). Email Tom at wxpunk@uw.edu if you can help. You can also follow the group’s progress on its Facebook page.

The garden will be ready for gardeners to plant seeds in another week, so it will look much greener by the end of May. We will also be finishing the construction of a community table, chairs, and a play area for children later this summer.
The community garden is over 17 years old, and did not have enough support to maintain itself; we hope the neighborhood will develop a new appreciation for Greenwood P-Patch this summer.

Horrible .... They ruined the garden .... I'm heartbroken.....its hideously disgusting and bare now ...stripped from its beauty. I've been part of this garden half of my life and seeing it today ripped my heart out....all in the name of progress ??? Its horrid now.

Its ugly....whoever agreed to the destruction of our garden was clearly now thinking. The trees are gone, the flowers, the herbs ....every little magical aspect stripped and looks like a freaking garbage dumb now.....I'm disgusted